Liquid cooling systems are used in internal combustion engines to remove heat from various components in the engine during combustion operation. Many cooling system includes separate cylinder head and cylinder block coolant jackets due to their different cooling needs during different periods of engine operation. The coolant jackets can include one or more coolant passages for circulating coolant through the cylinder head or cylinder block.
Separate thermostats can be used to control coolant flow through each of the cylinder head and cylinder block. However, using thermostats in this way has a number of drawbacks. For example, using multiple thermostats can increase the size of the cooling system as well as the cost of the system.
Proportional valves have been developed to enable flow into multiple jackets to be controlled via a single apparatus. However, the Inventors have recognized several drawbacks with current proportional valves. For instance, proportional valves may malfunction due to contaminants in the coolant which may collect between a housing and a rotatable drum in the valve. The collection of the particulates in the valve may lead to malfunction or failure of the proportional valve. For instance, the valve may jam and rotation of components in the valve may be constrained and in some cases completely inhibited. Such a malfunction may lead to damage and in some cases failure of the cooling system and therefore the engine due to the lack of coolant circulation therein.
As such in one approach, a selector guide valve in cooling system of an internal combustion engine is provided. The selector guide valve includes a first control drum independently rotatable and including an inlet receiving engine coolant from a pump and a plurality of coolant openings extending through the first control drum and a second control drum independently rotatable, circumferentially surrounding the first control drum, and including a plurality of coolant openings extending through the second control drum. Using a first control drum and second control drum independently rotatable from one another in a selector guide valve decreases the likelihood of valve malfunction (e.g., valve jamming) due to particulate formation in the valve. In particular, rotation of one of the control drums while the other drum is malfunctioning can increase the likelihood of the valve becoming unstuck. Additionally, providing two control drums in the valve increases the adjustability of the valve, further decreasing the likelihood of valve malfunction.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure. Additionally, the above issues have been recognized by the inventors herein, and are not admitted to be known.